This wasn't even a case of "our business is over, let's chit-chat." This was literally Chatty repeating the same 30-second conversation we'd just had over and over with slight rephrasings. And I guarantee you, nothing we were talking about was interesting enough to warrant that kind of a rehash. (I mean, it's not like we were discussing what hand we hold silverware in or something...)

Yeah, I smile and am warm and friendly and I hate that I almost have to get rude to get people to shut up.

Tep, is it possible your Chatty Co-Worker has cloned himself, gotten a sex change, and is now working with me at Big Name News Archive in Manhattan?

If anyone could, he could. He has SO MUCH needless chatter to get out that it created a whole new person to channel it.

Because that would put a damper on our sex life and I'm only willing to go so far in our quest to ignore your mother.

I appreciate that the line is well before the sex being cut off.

Srsly.

I appreciate that the line is well before the sex being cut off.

Why punish myself, right?

How much Dark Side Ass is La Punk kicking?

Baby, why do you think I'm so tired?

"I know she's crazy. Nigh on forty years I've known her. You got NOTHING. Go back to sleep."

Ha! My bro and SIL are having this issue right now. She feels like he doesn't defend her enough to our craxy mom. I said "well, we know that she's batshit, and there's no point in wasting your energy. We just have to get SIL to that realization. Until then, you're kinda screwed"

You know who we should clone? We should clone Daniel's mom, and secretly replace these other wackaloon parental units with the copies. She's the kind of crazy that sets people at ease and makes them enjoy her company.

And as Princess Touchy McFeely of the Snuggletown McFeelys, I am boggled that people say you don't get to choose who you hug. That's just refugnant.

This is my reaction. I like hugging people! I do not want to hug EVERYONE. Those people who walk around with "Free Hugs!" signs make me feel kind of uncomfortable.

You know who we should clone? We should clone Daniel's mom, and secretly replace these other wackaloon parental units with the copies. She's the kind of crazy that sets people at ease and makes them enjoy her company.

I would suggest cloning my parents, but a clone army of my Dad could be either be AWESOME, or signal the end of the world. I'm not sure which.

She feels like he doesn't defend her enough to our craxy mom. I said "well, we know that she's batshit, and there's no point in wasting your energy. We just have to get SIL to that realization. Until then, you're kinda screwed"

I felt like this for a very long time until realized that if Joe defended me to his mom every. single. time she irritated, offended, or upset me, he'd do nothing but talk to her all the freaking time. So now, like with my child, I choose my battles. I made Joe tell her to NOT refer to my size when we visited when I was 7 months pregnant and he told her that she upset my mother. I, in turn, try to blow things off. I'm not always (not usually) successful at it, but I try.

I am now on my fifth load of laundry. And I've got a few more things, like my mattress pad and some extra blankets, that really should be washed, too. (Right now, I've got three loads of clothes, one of blankets, and one of sheets and pillowcases.)